Information playback apparatus and information playback method

This application is a Divisional of and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC §120 from U.S. Ser. No. 11/187,985, filed Jul. 25, 2005, and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-219019, filed Jul. 27, 2004, the entire contents of each which are incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information playback apparatus and an information playback method.

2. Description of the Related Art

As is well known, currently, there is an optical disk which is called digital versatile disk (DVD) in which digital information can be played back by using a converging light. As the existing DVD standards, there are a DVD-ROM standard which is a read-only type, a DVD-R standard which is a write-once type, a DVD-RW standard which is a rewritable (about 1000 times) type, and a DVD-RAM standard which is a rewritable (10000 times or more) type. In any standard, there is provided a format standard for providing a data structure of image information [which is an video object the general term for video data, sub-picture data, and voice data] itself recorded on an optical disk (information storage medium), and a data structure of the management data for managing the image information.

The existing DVD video standard which is a read-only type corresponds to multiple languages simultaneously, and is made to be in a format in which not only multi-scene expression such as multi-angle/multi-story or the like is possible, but also a menu screen is satisfactory and it is easy for a user to directly access to a scene which the user wishes to see, and the like which can provide image contents that are easy for a user to use (for example, refer to the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,200 and the specification of Japanese Patent No. 2,677,775).

As described above, although the existing DVD video standard which is a read-only type is made to be in a format in which image contents that are easy for a user to use can be provided, the improvement with respect to the standard has been required in order to make a user to even more easily use it, and to enrich the contents expressive power with respect to the user.

Further, in order to provide contents that are easy for a user to use, there is the problem that authoring (preparation and editing of a program to be recorded on a DVD video disk) is made complicated.

Points in which the contents expressive power with respect to a user is insufficient, points which are difficult for the user to use, or points in which authoring is made complicated in order to provide contents that are easy for a user to use in the existing DVD video standard will be concretely enumerated.

[1] It is difficult for a user to use. Or, in order to prepare contents that are easy for a user to use, authoring is complicated.

(A) A defective point with respect to a playback start position when the playback is interrupted during a playback of a title, and carrying out some other processings, and thereafter, the process returns to the playback of the title.

• • (A1) When an image is interrupted to play back, and it is made to return to the playback after switching to display a menu or an image, it is impossible to play back the image from the former position interrupted.